Chapter 1740

In the days that followed, Zhou Yu and the others continued to make intensive preparations for the next step of the plan to oppose Cao Cao. Inside Jingzhou city, the armory was filled with newly forged weapons, the granaries were full of grain, and Huang Gai personally supervised the distribution and transportation of every batch of supplies, ensuring the soldiers at the front had no worries.

One day, Lu Su hurried into Zhou Yu's command tent, holding a letter from Liu Bei in his hand. "Commander, Liu Bei has written, stating his willingness to further deepen the alliance with us to jointly resist Cao Cao, and proposing his willingness to send Zhuge Liang to assist us in formulating strategies."

Zhou Yu took the letter, read it carefully, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth: "Liu Bei's move shows full sincerity. Zhuge Liang is peerless in wisdom; if we can get his assistance, it will undoubtedly be like adding wings to a tiger. Reply to Liu Bei, welcoming Zhuge Liang's arrival, and simultaneously expressing our anticipation for deepening the alliance."

Not long after, Zhuge Liang arrived in Jingzhou with several attendants, dusty and tired. Zhou Yu personally went out to welcome him; the two met outside the city gate, exchanged salutes, and then walked into the city together, heading straight for the council hall.

"Mr. Kongming has come from afar; I am deeply grateful," Zhou Yu said politely, signaling Zhuge Liang to sit down.

Zhuge Liang smiled slightly and returned the salute: "I have heard that the Commander is brave and skilled in battle, peerless in wisdom; seeing you today is truly a fortunate event. General Liu Bei and I both hope to conspire for great things with Jiangdong to resist the Cao thief."

Zhou Yu nodded, his expression solemn: "Cao Cao's power is vast and cannot be eliminated in a day. What high insights does the gentleman have? I am willing to hear them in detail."

Zhuge Liang lightly waved his feather fan and said slowly: "Although Cao Cao is strong, he is not without weaknesses. I have observed the celestial phenomena, and there will be natural disasters in the north in the near future; this is heaven helping us. We can take this opportunity to unite all parties, attack from the north and south, and make Cao Cao unable to attend to both ends."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yu's eyes lit up: "Natural disaster? Is this true?"

Zhuge Liang nodded affirmatively: "I have observed the stars at night and calculated it. In addition, we also need to strengthen the navy in preparation for any unexpected needs. Although Cao Cao is strong, water warfare is his weakness."

Zhou Yu felt deeply in agreement and discussed the specific battle plan with Zhuge Liang in detail. The two hit it off immediately and decided to take action immediately.

In the days that followed, Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang joined hands, strengthening military equipment while dispatching envoys to various places to win support from more allies. At the same time, they also closely watched the movements in the north, waiting for the arrival of the natural disaster.

Finally, several months later, news came from the north that Cao Cao's territory had encountered a rare drought, grain production had decreased severely, and the people's hearts were wavering. Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang looked at each other and smiled, knowing the opportunity had come.

They quickly gathered troops and attacked from multiple routes. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei led the great army, pressing directly to Cao Cao's hinterland; Zhao Yun led elite troops to harass Cao Cao's borders, pinning down his troops; while Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang personally led the navy, preparing for a life-and-death battle with Cao Cao's navy on the Yangtze River.

Upon hearing the news, Cao Cao was shocked. Although he anticipated that Jiangdong would take the opportunity to attack, he did not expect the natural disaster to come so suddenly, catching him off guard. He hurriedly gathered troops, attempting to respond to threats from all sides.

However, Cao Cao's army was already exhausted from continuous battles, coupled with the impact of the natural disaster, and their morale was low. Facing the pincer attack of the Jiangdong coalition army and allies from all sides, Cao Cao's army retreated step by step and suffered heavy losses.

Finally, in a decisive water battle, Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang joined forces to defeat Cao Cao's navy with fewer troops. Seeing that the situation was gone, Cao Cao had no choice but to lead his remaining troops to flee back to the north, and he would have no power to march south in the short term.

After the battle, Jingzhou city was filled with jubilation. Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang stood side by side on the city tower, looking at the river in the distance, their hearts filled with the joy of victory and longing for the future.

"Mr. Kongming, this great victory is all thanks to the gentleman's clever plan," Zhou Yu said sincerely.

Zhuge Liang smiled slightly: "The Commander is brave and skilled in battle, and the Jiangdong soldiers are dedicated; I have merely contributed a little bit of effort. The road ahead is still long, and we need to continue to join hands and move forward."

Zhou Yu nodded: "The gentleman's words are very true. May our Jiangdong and Shu-Han be like the water of the Yangtze River, flowing far and long, jointly resisting foreign enemies and guarding this land."

The two looked at each other and smiled, their hearts filled with infinite anticipation for the future and firm belief. They knew that as long as they were united as one, there was nothing that was impossible. And this victory was just a beginning in their joint journey of resisting Cao; there were more challenges waiting for them to face and conquer in the future.

With Cao Cao's temporary retreat, Jingzhou and the surrounding areas ushered in a rare period of peace. Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang took this opportunity to further strengthen the alliance between the two sides, not only acting as horns for each other in military terms but also carrying out in-depth cooperation in economy, culture, and other aspects. Inside Jingzhou city, merchants gathered, the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, and it was a scene of prosperity.

However, the peace did not last long. Cao Cao in the north did not give up his ambition to march south but was secretly accumulating strength, preparing to make a comeback. Meanwhile, a new force quietly rose in the Jiangnan region; the leader was a young monarch named Sun Quan, who, relying on the rich resources and elite troops of the six commanderies of Jiangdong, intended to get a share of the pie in the troubled times.

Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang keenly sensed this change; they knew well that if they could not properly handle the relationship with Sun Quan, they might fall into a situation of being attacked from both sides. Thus, the two decided to personally go to Jiangdong to meet with Sun Quan and explore the possibility of cooperation. ===== CHAPTER 1741 =====